The number of Unionized Americans continues to drop….

Unions are rapidly losing their grip on their onetime stronghold: the industrial Midwest.

A ranking of America’s most-unionized states in 2014 didn’t include Midwestern states among the top seven. The last remaining member of that group, Michigan, slid to No. 11 last year from the seventh spot in 2013, according to a ranking compiled using Labor Department data.

The slide of this traditionally heavily unionized state at a center of U.S. manufacturing underscores the labor movement’s challenge to maintain political power and rebuild in a changing economy. That’s something labor leaders have been contemplating this week at the AFL-CIO’s executive council meeting in Atlanta, where raising wages, collective bargaining, trade and politics have been on the agenda.

America’s union-membership rate fell to 11.1% last year from 11.3% in 2013, continuing a decadeslong slide from about 20% 30 years ago. Last year, 19 states had rates above the nation’s 11.1% average.

America’s union-membership rate fell to 11.1% last year from 11.3% in 2013, continuing a decadeslong slide from about 20% 30 years ago. Last year, 19 states had rates above the nation’s 11.1% average.

New York, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington held the top four spots, as they did in 2013. New Jersey rose to fifth from eighth as its membership rate increased slightly and California–which has more union members than any other state–maintained the sixth spot. Oregon rose to seventh from 12th as its rate increased to 15.6% from 13.9%.

One thought on “The number of Unionized Americans continues to drop….”

In the 1950’s, the private sector was heavily unionized (over 30%) while state laws forbade many government workers from joining real unions with the power to bargain collectively. The percentage of unionized government workers outside the Post Office was nearly negligible.

Now the labor movement as a whole consists of just about as many government workers as private-sector ones. I think the unionization percentages have been reversed. Unionized teachers must outnumber unionized steelworkers and auto makers. (I could look it up, but I have other things to do this afternoon.)

The thought that Michigan could pass right-to-work is still mildly astonishing.